Epidemiology focuses on the occurrence, distribution and determinants of health and disease, and on the methods that can be used to study them. It’s considered a cornerstone of public health, preventive medicine and evidence-based clinical medicine. In the master’s programme in Epidemiology, you’ll gain a solid education in the theoretical concepts, methods and interpretation of epidemiological research focusing on the diagnosis, etiology, and outcomes and prognosis of disease. You’ll also study the efficacy of preventive and therapeutic interventions.

You will explore epidemiology in all its different facets with examples ranging from the epidemiology of cancer or musculoskeletal disorders to nutritional, molecular, clinical and occupational health epidemiology. You’ll develop the full range of theoretical knowledge, practical and analytical skills, and experience you’ll need to become a certified epidemiologist.

In this programme, you will learn:

• about the basic principles and core concepts of epidemiology
• about different research designs
• about advanced statistical methods used in epidemiology
• to critically approach the appraisal of research work
• to prepare research proposals and research manuscripts and deliver effective oral presentations
• to develop communication skills that are relevant to the workplace

Programme highlights

There is a thorough grounding in the basic principles and core concepts of epidemiology. There is a strong emphasis on professional research skills such as critically assessing scientific publications and reports on public health and patient-bound research, designing, implementing, statistically analysing, evaluating and reporting on your own epidemiological research and interventions.

The programme has a strong research focus with a broad scope of applied research (e.g. musculoskeletal system, nutrition, cancer and clinical medicine).

• You will learn in an international classroom with around 40% of the students coming from abroad.
• You can play an active role in faculty research, thanks to the programme's close ties with the research institutes.
• You can become certified as a Licensed A-class Epidemiologist.
• From a PhD position to a researcher or project coordinator: the career opportunities are diverse.

Your future

Epidemiologists are currently in high demand, and this is only expected to continue. Epidemiologists typically work in a variety of settings, such as:

• governmental bodies
• non-profit organisations
• universities or other research institutes
• public health services
• clinical or biomedical centres
• pharmaceutical companies
• academic hospitals, etc.